Essaouira: wind, ramparts, Gnaoua and the Atlantic

Most travellers touch down first at Casablanca, the country's Atlantic gateway, and Essaouira lies a few hours further down the same coast. It was built to face the ocean: its 18th-century ramparts drop sheer into the water, and the wind — called the Alizé — blows almost constantly from the north, keeping the city cool and the kite-surfers aloft. After the energy of the gateway and the red-city interior, it feels like exhaling. The medina is smaller, quieter and painted in an altogether more bleached palette: whitewash, blue woodwork, the grey of the Skala bastions.

The ramparts and the Skala de la Ville

The sea ramparts — the Skala de la Ville — are the defining structure of Essaouira and the first place to go after dropping your bags. The platform runs along the northern wall, cannon still pointing seaward, with views south down the long beach and north to the rocky coast. At sunset the light on the water is extraordinary; the Gnaoua musicians sometimes set up here in the early evening with their guembri and qraqeb. Walk the full length to the harbour platform and then double back through the medina — the two-kilometre loop takes about forty minutes and gives you the shape of the city.

The port and the fish market

The working fishing harbour is immediately south of the ramparts. In the morning, blue-hulled wooden boats unload the night's catch: sea bass, bream, sole, cuttlefish and occasionally lobster. The harbour-side fish stalls will grill whatever you choose to order; this is one of the best meals Essaouira offers and costs under 80 MAD. The seagulls are numerous and assertive — eat quickly.

A small boatyard beside the harbour builds and repairs the traditional wooden boats in a workshop open to the street. Watching the craftsmen work is worth twenty minutes; it is one of the few functional boat-building traditions left on Morocco's Atlantic coast.

The beach: wind, kites and long walks

The south beach stretches for 20 km. The northern section, beside the medina, is the most animated: horse and camel rides, kitesurfers launching in the shallows, football on compacted sand at low tide. Walk thirty minutes south and the beach becomes almost empty. Several IKO-certified kitesurfing schools operate on the main beach; a two-hour introduction lesson runs US$60–80 including equipment. Windsurfing hire is also available. The activity extensions we build into Essaouira programmes are always tailored to the wind forecast for your dates.

Gnaoua: the music of Essaouira

Gnaoua music is rooted in the sub-Saharan African communities who arrived in Morocco from the 16th century onward. Its instruments — the three-stringed guembri bass lute, metal castanets called qraqeb, and layered call-and-response vocals — produce something hypnotic and rhythmically complex. Essaouira is the spiritual home of the tradition, and every June the city hosts the Gnaoua World Music Festival, drawing over 400,000 visitors to free outdoor stages across the medina.

Outside the festival, Gnaoua groups play in the Djemaa Moulay Hassan (the main square) most evenings. Sit, order a tea and listen — no ticket required.

The medina: slower souks

Essaouira's medina is smaller and less pressured than Marrakech's. The lanes of the artisan quarter specialise in thuya wood — a dense, fragrant burl unique to the Moroccan Atlantic coast, worked into boxes, frames and marquetry with extraordinary precision. These are not cheap imports; they are made in the workshops behind the stalls and are worth buying. The silversmith quarter on Rue Laalouj is also excellent; Essaouira's Jewish community historically dominated the silver trade here and the craft survives.

Near the Bab Doukkala gate, a women's cooperative sells cold-pressed argan oil — culinary and cosmetic — with certified provenance from the surrounding biosphere reserve. This is the place to buy it.

Where to stay

Stay inside the medina in a riad facing either the ocean or an interior courtyard. The best-restored properties here have thick walls, tiled floors and none of the fussiness that can afflict Marrakech riads aimed at the luxury market. We maintain a shortlist of properties with honest assessments of what each suits — a romantic couple, a family with children, guests prioritising the view. Ask us when you plan the trip through our Essaouira destination page.

A brief note on the wind: the Alizé is real and persistent. Rooms facing the ocean get the sound and occasionally a salt chill. If you are a light sleeper or run cold, request a courtyard room. The wind is not a problem — it is part of the city's character — but it is worth being prepared for.

Getting there and when to go

From Casablanca there are two good options: continue down the coast, or run inland to Marrakech first and come over from there — a private vehicle from Marrakech takes two and a half hours on the A7 motorway then the coast road. We always use a licensed driver who knows the route and can stop at the argan cooperative en route. March to May and September to November are ideal: mild temperatures, lower crowds and the wind at a sustainable rather than ferocious level. The Gnaoua Festival in June draws very large crowds — book accommodation months in advance if attending. Summer (July–August) is busy and very windy; December to February is quieter and surprisingly mild on the Atlantic coast compared to the interior.

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